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Teaching English as a DaDaABC teacher is a trending career option for those looking for flexibility in a part-time job with great pay.

Because of the growing demand for English teachers in China and the desire for many people to work remotely and travel, companies like DaDaABC offer premium pay for qualified teachers.

In this article, I’ll discuss the opportunities with DaDaABC, what you need to qualify to become a DaDaABC teacher, and how it compares to becoming a VIPKid teacher.

What is DaDaABC?

DaDaABC’s Website in China

DadaABC is an online English education platform for children ages 4 to 16 years old living in China.

It’s known as the first mainland China company to cooperate with the American TESOL Institute, which is the institute most widely known for training and qualifying English teachers.

Dada, as they’re also known as, has also raised the equivalent of $100 million USD in a C-round financing from Tiger Global Fund and TAL Education Group.

So there’s some serious money flowing into this market of learning English online as the Chinese are discovering it’s actually a really great way to teach their children English.

Can I Teach English Online with DadaABC?

Teaching English is not for everyone, but if you fit their criteria, it can be quite fun with decent pay.

Here are the requirements as specified by DaDaABC:

Have a Bachelors degree or equivalent

Speak with a clear accent for Chinese children to understand

Have a stable and strong internet connection for video calls

Enjoys working with children

TESOL/TEFL/Other teaching experience preferred

Now, these are the qualifications of their ideal candidate…

Are there any exceptions to these requirements?

Yes.

One of the biggest barriers to entry is the requirement of having a Bachelor’s degree.

We’ve promoted the job of becoming a VIPKid teacher and have heard from many applicants that even though they were outstanding in their interviews, the fact that they didn’t have a Bachelor’s was an instant disqualification. 🤦

DaDaABC is a little different in that they will accept applicants without degrees ONLY IF you have the other requirements taken care of.

If you can prove to them that you’re capable of speaking in a clear, easy to understand voice, are energetic, prepared, and great with kids, they’ll give you a chance.

I’ll give you some tips on getting hired later in this article.

How Much does a DaDaABC Teacher Get Paid?

A DadaABC teacher receives anywhere from $15 up to $25 USD.

The pay depends on how well you do during their TPR training and demo class results. It’s also based on how many of the requirements you meet.

If you pass their training and demo classes with flying colors, have a Bachelor’s degree, a TESOL/TEFL certificate, AND previous teaching experience, you can be sure to get paid in the $20 to $25 range.

If you pass their training but are without degrees or certificates, you’ll be working in the lower pay range until you’ve worked a few months.

You’ll also get an instant $15 (100RMB) upon hiring to pay for your props and teaching tools.

In China, they’re not allowed to send RMB outside of China, so they first must convert RMB into USD, so you’ll also have to pay an exchange fee.

Another important thing to note, if you want to get paid in another currency besides USD, you’ll have to pay another conversion rate fee since they will always first exchange RMB to USD, then after to whatever currency you’d like.

Some online banks to consider for receiving payments are Payoneer (which allows you to receive and withdraw in multiple currencies), or an Ally Interest Checking for just USD.

How Does Teaching English Online with DaDaABC Work?

I’ve found an increasing number of digital nomads teaching English online with DaDaABC as well as other schools.

It’s because all you need is a laptop, a solid wifi connection, some props, and an outgoing attitude to teach.

We highly recommend you get the following items at a Target or Walmart near you to keep things super cheap. Here’s what you’ll need:

Stuffed animals to keep kids entertained

Small whiteboard to teach visually

A reward system to give the kids something to work towards. Although the DadaABC platform has their own built-in reward system, so it’s not as important.

How many hours am I required to work?

You must work a minimum of 2 hours a day and 2 days a week. You can also choose to work full time if you’re able to work their schedule. See below.

You will need to sign a contract with DaDaABC for at least 1 year. They are looking for serious teachers, so make sure you’re willing to teach for at least 4 hours a week all year.

What are the class hours with DaDaABC

All classes are scheduled in Shanghai time since that’s where all your students are from :

Monday to Friday: (Shanghai time)

6:00pm – 9:10pm

Saturday and Sunday: (Shanghai time)

10:00am – 12:06pm

2:00pm-4:06pm

6:00pm-9:10pm

Here are the hours in Eastern standard time.

Monday to Thursday:

6am – 9am

Friday:

6am – 9am

10pm – 12am Saturday

Saturday:

2am – 4am

6am – 9am

10pm – 12am

Sunday

2am – 4am

6am – 9am

How many students will I have to teach?

Each class will have one student at a time. Unless there’s an occasion where you’ll find yourself teaching twins in which case you’ll have two students to teach at the same time.

These students will always be assigned to you as long as you can keep the schedule going. This is great because it lets you get familiar with the kids and develop a rapport with them.

How Does a DaDaABC Teacher Compare to a VIPKid Teacher?

VIPkid is probably one of the more well known online English teaching schools, although now with DaDaABC coming to take some market share, teachers have options. Here are some differences I’ve found:

Differences in pay

The biggest difference here is that Dada guarantees you’ll get paid for your time, whereas VIPKid will only pay you if you’re getting bookings.

This is one of the bigger issues with VIPKid as their ranking system favors the few teachers who have been there the longest, while new teachers struggle to get any bookings at all, which means no pay.

DaDaABC will pay their teachers half of what they have been scheduled for.

In other words, if you tell DaDaABC that you’re available to work 20 hours a week, yet receive no bookings, they will still pay you for 10 hours of your time. That’s because, during that time, you will have to be available which they feel deserves payment whether you’re working or not.

Differences in teaching style

With VIPKid, every day you teach, you’re placed with a different student.

Even if you absolutely love the child you’re teaching one day, there is no guarantee you’ll teach them again which many teachers have complained about.

DaDaABC on the other hand actually assigns all their teachers to one student. That means every day you teach, you’ll be teaching your own student, one on one. This can make planning and review much easier.

How Can I Apply to Become a DadaABC Teacher

If you meet the requirements mentioned above, you’ll need to submit an application online.

Make sure you have the following information handy:

An updated resume highlighting any experience relating to English teaching

Speak slowly, but clearly

DadaABC is in business to not only teach children English but to make sure they have an enjoyable experience. This means that the child should be able to at least understand what the teacher is saying.

Be patient and speak slowly. There will be times when a child won’t understand you, but it’s important to repeat yourself often in a clear tone.

Be enthusiastic

They will expect you to have an upbeat attitude while teaching, so you’ll need to show them upfront during your interview.

Always be smiling, speak loudly, and ready with questions for the interviewer.

Think long-term

This is the key to getting hired in my opinion. Even if you don’t have a college degree, they will be much more likely to hire you if you’re willing to stick with them for the long run.

Let them know about your plans to get certifications.

Tell them about your plans for buying teaching materials.

Show them your calendar of events and how you’ll block off days to work.

If you make it clear to them that you’ll be with them for at least a year, they will do whatever it takes to help you develop your skills and to build you up as a great English teacher.

Make an introduction video

This is above and beyond what is required, but on their application page, they have an area to upload a video.

Create a video where you introduce yourself, where you’re from, and how you heard about DadaABC.

You don’t need to be fancy. Just a camera phone will do. Speak clearly, slowly, and smile often.

Conclusion

Becoming a DaDaABC teacher can provide you with a great side income to whatever it is you’re doing now. It can also be a great full-time gig if you’re looking to do some traveling or living abroad.

Although they say they’d like experience, they really need more teachers so they’ll accept you so long as they can tell you’re passionate and committed to the work. When you get your first interview call and show them your clear speaking ability and positive attitude and your chance will be good to get the job. 🙂

Hi Simon! Both Dada and VIPKid give you all the materials you need including the plan. All you need to do is show up and walk the student through each step using their specially made chatroom for kids learning.

You only need to know English. Thats whats kind of cool about what Dada the company has done. They work on their end to organize all the classes and communicate with the parents so the teachers just have to show up to class (online) and all the materials are in English. No other languages needed.